Palace not pleased as Meghan Markle pals gush to magazine

Meghan Markle is using Tinseltown tactics to burnish her somewhat tarnished image.

The early going has been rough for the Duchess of Sussex as reports of diva behaviour, her family’s outlandish antics and spats with the Royals have dominated Britain’s tabloids.

Now, in a move that Angelina Jolie would approve of, Markle — or her handlers — have turned to the bible of celebrity hagiography: People magazine.

Five pals of the former Suits star have broken their silence — and gone nameless, natch — to offer a glowing tribute to the former star.

The friends have portrayed Markle in nearly Churchillian terms.

Among the choicer bits of praise:

— “[She] silently sat back and endured the lies and untruths.”

— A portrait of “elegance, grace, philanthropy.”

— “Selfless,” devoted to God, but with her feet planted so firmly on terra firma she can “make a five-star meal out of the garbage in your refrigerator.”

The palace was caught flat-footed and the Royals are said to be displeased by Markle’s outlandish display of Hollywood chicanery.

Friends have not said she can turn the world on with her smile, but they come very close. They are described as “a longtime friend, a former co-star, a friend from LA, a one-time colleague, and a close confidante.”

Her friends are calling the onslaught of bad press “global bullying.”

“It’s wrong to put anyone under this level of emotional trauma, let alone when they’re pregnant. We want to stand up against the global bullying we are seeing and speaking the truth about who our friend, a mother-to-be, really is,” the Markle mafia said.

“It’s the same stuff she does with her office (at Kensington Palace) now,” said her former co-star. “I came by there one day, and she had ordered an incredible ice cream and sorbet stand for the office. They were remarking how it was the ‘best day of work ever’.”